Life begins at 30....really??

Hey there,

Well my 30th birthday is one I will definitely never forget. The original plan was to spend it on the luscious beaches of the Andaman Islands snorkeling, tanning and having a few cocktails however flight cancellations and lack of available accommodation had made it impossible so we took on plan B..head to the mountains of Darjeerling.

 

Two hours out from Kolkata our train stopped and all the passengers from our carriage were told to move into the next carriage. There were quite a few police with torches the size of watermelons and others with large guns searching just our carriage however at this stage we were unsure of for what. We watched on concerned and confused for sometime until I overheard a conversation with two guys in Hindi the only word I recognized was "bomb". I took a few minutes to process this then asked him to clarify. He told me it was dangerous and we shouldn't be on the train at all as someone had phoned the police and told them there was a bomb in our carriage...WTF!!!

Turns out the guy was traveling with his band and two of the guys could speak English. We stood on the platform in the cold (I was only wearing a t-shirt and obviously couldn't go back for a sweater) with spots of rain for nearly 4 hours until 2am. During this time the police brought in dogs from the bomb squad and searched the entire train while we made friends with the band. The situation would have been a lot worse if we didn't have anyone to translate for us so we were lucky in that respect. Although the Indian police did their job as I am still alive to tell the tale, their work was seriously sloppy. They didn't evacuate the train or close down the station and other trains continued to pass and even stop. We were not told to keep a distance from the train (we did though as we actually have common sense!) and other passengers gathered around the train watching the dogs in action while others returned to sleep in the suspected carriage. No one was searched when the green light was given for the train to continue to it's destination although the dogs had been walked through the crowds of people (this provided me with some comfort) but if someone was carrying a bomb on them they could have easily avoided the police. Before I would reenter the train I made the police inspector promise the train was safe and I wouldn't be dying on this train...All the Indians were pretty amused by this!!

After a few hours sleep (somehow) we were confronted with another interesting situation. A transvestite boarded the train and was threatening men in our cabin to expose themselves (which is extremely embarrassing to the Indians) if they didn't give 'it' money. Of course the men obliged rather than facing the embarrassment but I was shocked at the lengths people in this country go to to scab money from others. This was then followed by another incident later while we were in a taxi when a crazy lady stood in the middle of the road holding a large piece of wood threatening to smash in the car unless the driver gave her 2 rupees. She made some signals with her hands indicating she was crazy but I was again disgusted at the lengths people go to for money rather than getting out there and finding a proper job.

So I turned 30 while standing on a train platform while my carriage was searched for a bomb!! Who would of ever thought...

So after all the excitement and drama of the day and massive delays we reached Darjeerling six hours late hungry and tired. No thanks to our driver who stopped three times during the three hour journey up the mountain. On the third stop I actually got out and yelled at him that I wasn't paying him to eat I was paying him to drive. Harsh I know but it had been a seriously long 24 hours. Yelling proved to help the situation and we didn't stop again. 

Lish shouted me pizza and fries for dinner (which was breakfast and lunch as well) and then we built a fire in our room (so grateful for a room with a fireplace in this weather) and I fell asleep soon after. We decided to celebrate my birthday properly the next day....TO BE CONTINUED!!!

From your happy to be alive however over the hill best friend xx

E's Birthday!

Dear Emma,


Today is your birthday!  Happy birthday to you!  I hope you are eating lots of cake and getting to open presents... or at least getting a decent meal and a warm bed.  


Love and miss you, birthday girl!

Valentine

Dear Emma:


Happy Valentine's Day!  Things have been really busy around my house since I hosted my first annual Valentine's Party over the weekend!  

I spent all of my free time making delicious treats such as cake batter truffles and raspberry cheesecake cupcakes (you would have adored them!!).  

(and also decorating my house with all the lovely flowers my amazing husband brought home for me!)

I hope you are having a wonderful Valentine's Day across the world!  Miss you heaps! 


Yours with love- Anna

Sri Lanka

Hi there,
Do you recall the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami that hit Sri Lanka after a massive earthquake in Indonesia?
When arriving in the south coast area of Sri Lanka it's really apparent life here has seriously been altered from this natural disaster. Graves border the coast road with signs along the streets recalling the number of lives and houses lost.
Today we went to the Dutch Fort in Galle and walked along the shore to the lighthouse and back through the old buildings and churches. Our tuk tuk driver from Galle back to our hotel in Anawatuna spoke like it was just a few months ago how the area we were driving through had been devastated by the tsunami with the entire waterfront going under water. All the buildings we were seeing were brand new. The tragic result was the loss of 4000 lives just in Galle with tens of thousand in Sri Lanka as a whole. Our driver had been lucky and been on higher ground at the time.
Life along the coast here survives on it's fishing and tourist industry so it's amazing to see how it has bounced back even though after chatting with the locals it seems like yesterday to them.
Sadly the beaches aren't what they used to be and now a narrow shoreline remains. None the less it's still a beautiful area with some very lovely locals.
Miss you
E xx

Memory Monday [5]

I have been thinking a lot about what we were doing around this time in 2008.  About now we were in Thailand in an area called Sukhothai...

I picked a guest house kind of out in the middle of nowhere, but is didn't matter much as we spent our time riding bikes through the palace ruins.  

It was like we had the whole place to ourselves!

What was I thinking with that fanny pack?  I mailed it home after I saw how it ruined these pictures haha...

Oh, and the green curry was soooooo delicious!  It took us quite awhile to catch a bus out though... it was like there was no schedule... a sleepy little town with no need for set times (much to the irritation of us organized backpackers... we were sitting at the side of the road waiting for that bus for what felt like eternity).  


May all the buses you need today be prompt!

Going Bananas over Seafood!!

Hey Anna Banana,
I'm in banana country!! It's so tropical in Sri Lanka and there are bananas everywhere so I'm reminded of your nickname.
Also so much seafood, which Im loving. I've been indulging myself with a few of my favorites including golden fried calamari, prawns and of course fish and chips.

We had heard some great reviews on a restaurant called Hot Rock which is located on the rocky edge of Unawatuna Beach. The Old Fashioned Prawn Curry is their most popular dish and I was not disappointed. A bed of fluffy rice with a sea of yellow curry with delicious prawns. YUM!!!

The seafood here definitely beats what I tried in both Nepal and India. I had grilled King Fish in Goa which was very average and the fried fish I had from the lake in Pokhara, Nepal was terrible...looking back I should have really taken a look at the lake first!!

Your pizza looks delicious, I'm excited to try when I get there (minus the olives please!!)
Love E xx

Pizza

Dear Emma,


I hope Sabrina is feeling better, it is no fun being sick when you are away from home!  It was really nice getting to talk with you on the phone (and via chat).  This time zone is much better for us. 


Last night Paul and I had this amazing pizza...

It is from a place called Papa Murphy's.  They make the pizza for you and then you bake it at home in your own oven.  Since our oven is an antique and doesn't work the greatest we decided to take advantage of the fact that we have been house-sitting Paul's parent's house.  Chicken Alfredo pizza with spinach and green olives!  Yum!  


That reminds me of the last time we had pizza together... you were here for my wedding and we were in Galena at Benjamin's.  

That was a fun day-trip (remember we went to the winery too?).  


You are heading to Sri Lanka right now... safe travels!  Can't wait to hear about your next adventure!


Yours with love- Anna